TUI's cruise ship Mein Schiff 1 rescued sailors in the Atlantic Ocean

   November 29, 2021 ,   Accidents

On November 26, 2021, while en route from the Caribbean back to Europe, TUI's ship Mein Schiff 1 responded to a mayday/distress call issued from the sailing yacht Agecanonix (France-flagged vessel, MMSI 227942370). Two sailors were rescued, while the third one died on the boat before the ship's arrival at the scene.

The sailboat was participating in the annual ARC Race 2021 (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers)- ranked the world's largest Trans Ocean regatta. The boat was en route from the Canary Islands (Spain) to St Lucia Island (Windward Islands, Lesser Antilles, Caribbean Sea).

The emergency call was issued while the boat was south of the Azores Islands (Portugal) after one of the sailors injured his head due to rough seas (wind speeds up to 40 knots/75 kph/45 mph). Reportedly, the man died instantly. The mayday was received by France's MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Center) while the rescue operation was coordinated by Azores's MRCC Ponta Delgada SAR (Search and Rescue).

TUI's Schiff 1 (mastered by Captain Omar Caruana) was the closest in the area. The liner (carrying ~1440 German tourists) changed course and arrived at the scene on Nov 27th (at ~9:30 pm UTC). A crewed lifeboat was launched and approached the yacht. However, due to strong winds, after several attempts, the rescue was suspended and continued/completed on Nov 28th.

Our satellite tracker shows the ship's maneuvers in the area on Nov 28th.

TUI

The incident occurred while Mein Schiff 1 was completing the 35-day Transatlantic cruise roundtrip from homeport Bremerhaven (itinerary "Karibische Inseln Ab Bremerhaven 1"/October 31 thru December 5).

Date / TimePort
31 Oct 19:00Departing from Bremerhaven, Germany
05 Nov 08:00 - 19:00Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel Island, Azores
12 Nov 07:30 - 19:00Tortola Island, Road Town, BVI
13 Nov 07:30 - 19:00Philipsburg, St Maarten Island, Dutch Antilles
15 Nov 07:00 - 19:00Catalina Island, Dominicana
16 Nov 07:00 - 22:00La Romana, Dominicana
18 Nov 07:30 - 19:00Oranjestad, Aruba Island, Dutch Antilles
19 Nov 07:30 - 22:00Willemstad, Curacao Island, Dutch Antilles
20 Nov 07:30 - 19:00Kralendijk, Bonaire Island, Dutch Antilles
22 Nov 07:30 - 19:00Castries, St Lucia Island
29 Nov 08:00 - 18:00Funchal, Madeira Island, Portugal
05 Dec 08:00Arriving in Bremerhaven

For more Mein Schiff 1 incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.